It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging since 2011 and it’s amazing to think that I didn’t have anything in my mind worth sharing with the world. It’s been an awesome journey and one I know that will continue to change as I change and it was fun to look back at what I was reading when I first started this journey!

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If you’re a kid lit book blogger, you should think about applying to become a judge for the CYBILS awards, it’s a rewarding experience that exposes you to titles you never would have read before. If you’re interested check out the CYBILS website and make sure to get your application in by the deadline – September 14.

There are two different rounds of judging and the CYBILS website has all the information you’ll need to decide what type of judge fits your schedule the best. And if you’re not too specific, shoot for being a judge of a less popular genre like nonfiction or poetry, it may be easier to be selected if fewer people apply for these genres.

It’s definitely a lot of hard work and (obviously) a lot of reading, but it’s a really great experience to be a part of and one that I’d love to repeat when I have a little more time!

I’ve been struggling lately with my blog – it started out as a suggestion from my boyfriend a few years ago and at the time I thought, “Who would ever want to read anything I wrote?” and since, I’ve come to enjoy sharing my programs, discussing issues and connecting with people around the world.

But now, I’ve taken a new job and feel like my blog has somewhat lost its purpose, so that’s where I’m at. My job now is much more focused on everything from large-scale projects to the mundane paperwork of running an organization… but that’s not as interesting to write about. I’m having more and more difficulty coming up with content for daily posts six days a week that won’t completely put everyone to sleep.

I’m hoping to start working on a calendar of ideas so that I’m not thinking about content everyday and having to write it up, rather I’ll have put some thought into it in advance (which is what I should have been doing all along). With this new position, I’ve had little time to really focus on what I want this blog to become and so that’ s what I’ve been thinking about lately. Library/Librarian blogs have somewhat of a small audience – mainly other libraries/librarians, some teachers and parents who stumble onto programming ideas and others who get here by accident. It’s not like a lifestyle blog or a Disney blog that has the potential for a much larger following. Or does it?

So if you’re a regular reader, comment on what parts of the blog you like and would want me to keep and I’m going to spend much of my summer trying to figure out where I want this project to go. Thanks for the input!

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I have ten resolutions and now am slightly overwhelmed, but many are attainable and I’m really excited to start 2016 off on the right foot! Overall, I resolve to rock!

Blog Goals

Grow a larger readership. I have a lot of views on my blog, but I’d love to see my numbers go up!

Participate in more Twitter chats. I would love to meet more people and participate in readathons and book chats this year.

Improve my social media connections. I want to work on more effectively using my Twitter and creating Instagram images to push my blog to more people.

Invite guests to post and guest post. I think this would be a great way to connect with other librarians – by inviting them to guest post on my blog and by guest posting on other blogs.

Revamp my blog. This was a goal last year, but I didn’t get a chance to work on it as much as I wanted to. I’d like to take a closer look at my design and format, making it easier to find content.

Personal/Professional Goals

Find professional development opportunities. I love to learn, so I want to find classes and webinars that will help me professionally.

Read more picture books, easy readers, and early chapter books. I’ve got middle grade fiction, but this year I really want to make sure that I’m reading the younger audience material being published. And I’ve got a great start focusing on easy readers and early chapter books for my first Bout of Books.

Run a 10K. I trained for one last year and when I finally got to the race, I was a day late!!!! So, I’m definitely doing it this year!

Build a bookshelf. I have an entire wall in my office that just begs for bookshelves and I’m hoping that I can tackle this project during the winter/spring. I’m thinking industrial looking shelving with plumbing pipes and thick wooden shelves.

Stay Positive. I am not an overly positive person in general, but my goal is to try and be more positive at work and at home.

Nominate your favorite books published between October 16, 2013 and October 15, 2014 in the following categories:

Young Adult Non-fiction

Young Adult Speculative Fiction

Young Adult Fiction

Poetry

Book Apps

Middle Grade Fiction

Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

Elementary/Middle Grade Non-fiction

Fiction Picture Books

Graphics

Easy Reader/Short Chapter Books

for the Ninth Annual Children and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary (Cybils) Awards. The books will be judged in two rounds by judges selected by the Cybils powers-that-be. During the first round of judging, a shortlist will be made available during late December. This is where the second group of judges picks up narrowing these few titles down to a winner for each category.

What I love about the Cybils is that fact that the books are judged by other bloggers – not necessarily by a committee with very strict rules of what can and cannot win an award. The Cybils is much more open and accessible allowing them to highlight some books that don’t receive major literary awards.

Definitely take a few minutes to check out their website and see what has been nominated already this year. I’ve nominated a few, happy to see that many of the titles that I feel are strong titles this year have already been nominated by someone else! I’m excited to see the shortlists and the final award winners later this year and early next year! Good luck to all the authors! And don’t forget to check out the Cybils website for more information about this cool book award process!